25 per cent discount from next autumn
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By DEREK MOSES DISCUSSIONS between bus operators and manufacturers on standard specifications for stage service buses begin next week. This was revealed by Mrs. Barbara Castle on Tuesday when she introduced her White Paper entitled "Public Transport and Traffic". The grants of 25 per cent off the cost of financing the purchase of buses to these specifications may be paid from next autumn.
I asked Mrs. Castle if the grant will be paid on the cost of a bus ex works, or on the purchase price. In other words: Will the Government be helping to finance manufacturers? The Government would not be contributing to manufacturers' profits, she said. The grant would be on the price paid by the operator.
'Pullman philosophy' I asked: Will the remaining independent operators be "safe" from take-over by the proposed National Bus Company? She replied: The NBC will have no compulsory powers of acquisition. Pressed on this point Mrs. Castle admitted that the new State company would be expected to negotiate for the voluntary take-over of independent operators where appropriate.
Introducing her White Paper, Mrs. Castle said that public transport must no longer be considered the "Cinderella" of public road transport. A "Pullman philosophy" would take over. The key to the problem of public transport was to sort out the local from the national aspects—an essential reason for setting up PTAs.
Mrs. Castle claimed to have rejected the 1947 approach of Whitehall control to nationalization.
The object of financial assistance from the Treasury was to break away from "the cattle trucks concept of public transport".
Her White Paper did not deal with London, she said. London's transport problems would be the subject of another Bill to be introduced after a "breathing space".
Whether the PTAs would lead to an increase in bus fares would depend on the individual Authorities, and to what extent they introduced new facilities. Some fares might come down! Another factor depended on whether PTAs fell back On the rates for financial assistance.
Mrs. Castle said it was too early to decide whether PTAs should cover the entire country. It was necessary to wait for the outcome of the local Government rationalization now imminent. The NBC would assist public transport reorganization outside the conurbations.